In Sickness and In Health
by EightYearsandaHalf
Summary: Captain Wentworth is still resentful and indifferent towards Anne when she succumbs to a mild fever. What arises is a very unexpected entanglement.
1. Chapter 1

I am presently working on a longer story (at least 10 chapters), but wanted to give you something new in the meantime. This is a short, three chapter plot bunny that originated when I was struck down by the flu in March. We begin in the middle of Chapter 9 - in the novel, this is where Captain Wentworth saves Anne from little Walter, but I have changed the scene…

~~START OF STORY~~

" _One morning, very soon after the dinner at the Musgroves, at which Anne had not been present, Captain Wentworth walked into the drawing-room at the Cottage…"_

...where he only found Anne.

The surprise of being alone with Anne Elliot deprived his manners of their usual composure: he started, and could only say, "I thought the Miss Musgroves had been here: Mrs. Musgrove told me I should find them here," before he walked to the window to recollect himself, and feel how he ought to behave.

"They are up stairs with my sister: they will be down in a few moments, I dare say," had been Anne's reply, in all the confusion that was natural. She started to leave the room to release them both from the awkwardness of the situation.

Captain Wentworth detected a hoarseness in Anne's voice and turned around to look at her. As she made her way to the door, he noticed her laboured movement, drawn face and red cheeks - the latter were not the shade of a delicate blush or embarrassment, but the deeper colour of a fever. Concern won out over indifference.

"Miss Elliot, are you unwell?"

"I am well, thank you," she replied, her voice barely above a whisper from the exertion of too much talking.

Anne leaned her arm against a chair. In truth, she had been in low spirits since yesterday. To add to little Charles' misery while recovering from his fall earlier in the month, he had recently taken ill with a fever. At Mary's request, Anne had been constantly by his side nursing him over the past few days.

Captain Wentworth moved closer. "Truly, you seem unwell. You must sit down and rest." He took her hand to assist her. "Good God! Your skin is hot and you are shivering."

"Perhaps I have contracted little Charles' fever and sore throat," she said quietly.

He guided her to the sofa, then removed his great coat and folded it to form a pillow.

"Lean your head against this," he said before walking in the direction of the kitchen.

His behaviour startled Anne. Though she was unused to attention in general, she especially did not expect it from someone who had spoken fewer than ten sentences to her since his arrival several weeks ago.

As Anne closed her eyes and relaxed into the sofa, her head turned to the side and she inhaled Captain Wentworth's lingering scent from the wool coat. Instantly, she was transported back eight years in the past, to a cool day in October when he had wrapped his arms around her and whispered words of love into her ear as they paused along a favourite grove.

Knowing the danger of too much reflection, Anne opened her eyes again to bring herself back to the present. Captain Wentworth was returning from the kitchen with a glass of wine as Mary, Louisa, and Henrietta walked in, surprised at the scene before them.

Mary spoke first. "Anne, why are you lying down on the sofa?" She acted as if nobody ever lay on her sofa, though it was her own favourite activity on most mornings.

"Is that Captain Wentworth's coat?" Louisa eyed the folded brown fabric under Anne's head with envy.

"Miss Elliot is unwell and needs to rest," Captain Wentworth replied.

"That is not possible," Mary said decidedly. "Anne has a very stout constitution. I do not recall her being ill once in these past five years."

All eyes turned to Anne's face.

"I do feel out of spirits," Anne admitted, not wishing to draw further attention by saying more.

Captain Wentworth, however, had no such reserve. "Mrs. Charles, she has chills, is red with fever and has a sore throat. Are these not the same symptoms as your eldest son?"

Mary had no idea what symptoms her son had. Instead of answering the question, she simply shrugged and said, "Anne looks the same as she did yesterday." Not noticing Captain Wentworth's countenance darken, she continued, "I think it quite impossible that she should get sick from little Charles. I have not gotten sick, you see, and I am his own mother."

Had she looked at Captain Wentworth's hands, she would have noticed them shaking as he restrained himself from strangling something - or someone.

"You may summon the apothecary to confirm the diagnosis," Captain Wentworth said firmly, "or simply follow the same course of treatment as little Charles. Either way, Miss Elliot must be allowed as much rest as possible."

Feeling that Captain Wentworth had overstepped his bounds - she was Anne's nearest relation, after all - but sensing that he would brook no opposition, Mary replied unhappily, "Very well."

Meanwhile, Louisa and Henrietta stood about stupidly, neither saying nor doing anything. Whether they were unable to voice their own concerns regarding Anne's health or as unfeeling towards it as Mary, Captain Wentworth did not know.

Turning to her sister, Mary continued, "But Anne, you cannot expect me to stay here tonight when I have already promised to dine at the Great House. Jemima will have to look after the children by herself, I suppose, but there will be no one -"

"Mrs. Charles," Captain Wentworth interrupted testily, "We will need a pillow and blanket - nothing too warm - for Miss Elliot."

"Of course, Captain Wentworth. I was about to suggest the same."

Rather than spend a minute fetching the items herself, Mary rang for a maid who was slow to respond. Once the maid returned and placed the pillow and blanket on a table, Mary and the Miss Musgroves stared at each other, unsure how to proceed.

"I should not get too close to Anne," Mary finally declared. "I have already been very ill five times in the past year, and my fevers, you know, are always worse than anybody's. Louisa, you must bring these to Anne."

Louisa blenched. "Oh… ahh… Henrietta, you would be most suited for the task, for you have a better constitution."

Henrietta looked back at Mary and Louisa with pleading eyes. "I do not… I mean…" and in a lower voice, "She is _infectious_."

"Anne," Mary called out, "perhaps we can just toss these to you one at a time and you can catch them?"

Captain Wentworth, who had been watching the proceedings with a growing incredulity in his eyes, quickly grabbed the items and brought them to Anne.

"Can you sit up a little, Miss Elliot?" He removed his coat and pushed the pillow under her head, then unfolded the blanket and began to lay it over her.

"Are you comfortable?" He looked at her with such solicitude that she was grateful her blush was masked by her feverish skin.

Anne nodded and murmured her thanks. Closing her eyes, she was quickly falling asleep but heard Captain Wentworth say before she slipped out of consciousness, "Mrs. Charles, I will call again later to enquire after her."

~~OOO~~

Captain Wentworth left soon after, too disgusted by what he had witnessed to remain in the company of Mary, Louisa and Henrietta. Were none of them capable of caring for Anne? If they had fallen ill, Anne would surely have tended to their every need. In truth, the reason Anne was sick was because she had been caring for Mary's sick child! Captain Wentworth fumed over the situation.

He had not wanted to assist Anne. Upon entering the cottage, he had planned to continue acting indifferently towards her as he had done for the past few weeks. But when he saw her so unwell, feeling overtook reason and he took charge. With her sisters' incompetence, it had fallen to him to see to Anne's comfort. He who had the least connexion to her, forced to take the most responsibility! The whole incident brought an uncomfortable thought to the surface, one which he had previously avoided examining but which he could no longer ignore - why had he been paying his attentions to the Miss Musgroves when Anne's character was so clearly superior to either of theirs?

As Captain Wentworth strode down the path, he noticed he was entering the village. One shop in particular caught his eye. Recalling a distant, tender memory, he slowed his pace until he reached the door, then decided to go inside.

~~OOO~~

Upon awakening, Anne looked out the window and saw the sun quite low in the sky. She guessed she had been asleep for above five hours. The house was quiet; Mary and Charles must have already left for dinner at the Great House.

Feeling a bit better but still feverish, Anne's most pressing need was her very parched and sore throat. She looked around the room - a few new logs had been placed in the fire and a tea tray sat on the table nearest to her. She slowly sat up and carefully poured the water over the tea leaves. The water was still hot enough to steam, indicating that it had been recently boiled. Once the tea was ready, she added a small amount of milk into her cup and took a sip. She was pleasantly surprised to discover the tea was her favourite type of green tea. It was of high quality and therefore more expensive, and since Mary only kept black tea at the cottage, Anne had not enjoyed it in over a month. As the warm liquid soothed her throat, Anne sighed. She knew she had just missed Captain Wentworth's visit but was gratified that he still remembered such small details from the past. Though he might be perfectly careless of her now, that he could not see her suffer without the desire of giving her relief brought her feelings of both pleasure and pain.

At Captain Wentworth's forceful suggestion to Mary, Jemima came to check on Anne and asked if she would like some food, but Anne earnestly negatived. After finishing a second cup, the tea warming her stomach and thoughts of Captain Wentworth warming her heart, Anne fell back to sleep again.

~~END OF CHAPTER~~


	2. Chapter 2

Late in the night, Anne was moved to her bedchamber to recover. She had been awake for a few hours in the morning, quietly reading a book and starting to feel tired again, when Captain Wentworth stopped by the cottage. He had just returned from shooting with Charles, and Anne could hear his distinctive low voice downstairs. Wishing to thank him in person for the tea, she pulled herself out of bed, put on a loose, modest gown, and quickly pinned up her hair to look sufficiently presentable. As she approached the top of the stairs, she heard Charles say,

"Do not worry, I shall not forget to give her the broth from Mrs. Croft."

At the sound of her footsteps, both men looked up. Captain Wentworth immediately said, "Miss Elliot! Why are you out of bed?"

She stopped and smiled wanly. "I wanted to thank you for the tea, Captain Wentworth."

He coloured. "Oh… I… You are welcome, Miss Elliot. Is there anything else I can do while I am here?"

"No, you have done more than enough, thank you." She coughed. Already faint from the small amount of exertion, she rested against the wall and felt her body swaying and knees giving way. In an instant, Captain Wentworth bounded up the stairs and was beside her with one arm around her waist. Charles quickly followed.

"Miss Elliot, you must return to your room." Captain Wentworth's arm was strong, warm and comforting.

"Anne, allow me help you," Charles said.

Captain Wentworth relinquished his hold as Charles took his place and escorted Anne to her room. It took all his strength to not follow, but Captain Wentworth was aware of the impropriety of stepping into her bedchamber. He should not even be in the hallway, but could not bring himself to leave till he was assured of her comfort. Charles helped Anne into bed, rung a bell to summon a maid who could help her out of her gown, and left her room to briefly go to his. Anne closed her eyes. In a louder voice so she could hear him from a distance, Captain Wentworth said, "I will take my leave now. I hope you feel better soon, Miss Elliot."

She nodded and started to drift off to sleep. Captain Wentworth watched through the open doorway, arrested by the sight of her in bed - her chest softly rising and falling with each inhale and exhale, her lips slightly parted. The scene brought to mind his many dreams of waking up with her next to him as his wife. He felt a long forgotten stirring in his heart and turned to go when he heard a sigh.

"Thank you, Frederick."

Startled, he turned back around. Anne appeared to be asleep, yet he could not have imagined it. He had imagined her saying many things over the years and her voice never sounded as real as it had just now. She must have spoken unconsciously, and his breath caught at the warm affection evident in her voice as she uttered his Christian name. After spending eight years carefully building a wall around his heart, with three words it all came tumbling down. The tender feelings he had buried long ago rushed back, overwhelming him with the force of them. Quickly, he left the cottage before Charles or anyone else could see the torment in his eyes.

~~OOO~~

A few days passed without another visit from Captain Wentworth, at least inside the cottage. He continued shooting with Charles each morning but would take his leave outside the front door. Though Anne remained upstairs, she was disappointed to not even hear him in the cottage, but then chided herself for indulging in unfounded hopes. After all, he must be preoccupied with the Miss Musgroves. Mary made no mention of him except once, when she stopped by Anne's room one morning, taking care to come no closer than the door, and said, "Captain Wentworth declined to dine at the Great House yesterday. We were so disappointed. I hope you did not make him ill, Anne."

One fine November morning, about a week after Anne first fell ill, her fever had ended and her health improved enough that she sat downstairs with Mary. Henrietta and Louisa stopped by for no other purpose than to say that they were going to take a long walk and therefore concluded Mary could not like to go with them. The latter immediately replied, "Oh, yes, I should like to join you very much. I am very fond of a long walk. Anne, you will not mind staying here by yourself."

Without waiting for a response from her sister, Mary took her pelisse and exited the cottage. Not five minutes later, Captain Wentworth called and a servant let him inside.

"Captain Wentworth, you just missed my sister and the Miss Musgroves. They went out for a walk, though I do not know in which direction they headed," Anne said.

"Yes, I saw them as they walked eastward. Charles and I came across them when we returned early from shooting and he accompanied them."

"You did not wish to join them?"

"I thought you could use some company. Do you mind?"

A flush crept into her cheeks. "Not at all."

He smiled and took a chair. "I saw little Charles running around outside with his brother and the nursery-maid. I hope this means that you too shall be fully recovered soon."

"Yes, I am feeling much better; only a slight cough remains. I hope to go outside in a few days. I miss walking through the woods but must not worsen my condition by exposing myself to the cold air."

"You always did enjoy your walks. Next time you shall have to take care to fall ill in the summer, when temperature would not be a concern."

Anne flushed further at his mention of the past as well as his light tease. Seeking to change the subject, she said, "And how about you? Are you in good health, Captain Wentworth?"

"Yes, perfectly so."

"I am glad to hear it. My sister told me you did not dine at the Great House on Monday. She thought you might have been sick."

"Not at all. I simply preferred a quiet day at Kellynch."

He said nothing further but did look at her with an odd smile. At that moment, footsteps sounded in the hallway. A maid walked by and, upon hearing their voices, looked through the open doorway. Her eyes widened and she quickly shifted her gaze to the floor and shuffled away. Captain Wentworth and Anne shared a glance, both with the same thought on their minds - being seen alone together might give rise to undesirable talk. He therefore stood up and politely took his leave.

~~OOO~~

"Oh Anne, we had an abominable walk!" Mary cried as she entered the cottage over two hours later and collapsed onto the sofa. "It was so terribly long! I shall probably be very ill tomorrow from the exertion of it all. Louisa and Henrietta took us to Winthrop; you know how much I detest the place, and it is two miles away! I wish we had turned back after only half a mile. I blame Charles for not paying attention and informing me of our destination. He joined us too, though Captain Wentworth did not. To make matters worse, Charles, Henrietta and Louisa insisted on calling on their aunt! But you know I could not abide going into that horrid house, so I remained at the top of the hill. Charles Hayter was at home too, and it now seems that he and Henrietta have come to an understanding. I suppose that clears the path for Louisa and Captain Wentworth now."

She stopped for a breath. "And what have you been up to this morning?"

Anne mentioned that Captain Wentworth had paid a very short visit.

"He called on you alone?" Mary exclaimed. "But that is not proper! How could you allow it when you know he is interested in Louisa? I did not think you to be so selfish, Anne. I hope nobody saw the two of you together."

Anne decided not to mention the servant who let him in or the maid who had seen them.

"You know how quickly country gossip spreads," Mary continued. "I cannot bear for more unpleasant talk about our family, not after papa was already forced to quit Kellynch Hall. Consider how difficult it has been for me, with the servants and shopkeepers whispering about my relations! You must be more careful, Anne."

~~OOO~~

For once, Mary's concerns turned out to be entirely justified. Two days later, Anne felt well enough to leave the cottage. After a short walk in the woods, she was inside the milliner's shop at Uppercross village when two women entered. They did not notice her in the corner with her back to them and were wholly engrossed in their conversation, which Anne was close enough to hear.

"I assure you it must be true, Martha, for Sarah heard it from Harriet directly. And it was not just one occurrence. First, he was upstairs in her bedchamber alone! And two days ago, they were seen alone again in the drawing room of the cottage. Who knows what improper liberties she has allowed him to take!"

"I simply refuse to believe it, Hannah," Martha replied. "Mamma says Miss Anne Elliot is the epitome of propriety and grace. Surely she would not act in an undignified way!"

"I disagree. All the Elliots think too highly of themselves and turn up their noses at the rest of us. Mrs. Charles is forever finding something to complain about and reminding everyone what is her due as a baronet's daughter. Miss Anne Elliot not quite as bad, I grant you, but she is approaching that dangerous age, and with her father's money troubles, who is to say what a desperate woman will do?"

Anne's cheeks burned with outrage.

"I am not convinced," Martha said quietly.

The women began walking away from Anne and towards the counter, but Anne could still hear Hannah reply,

"Captain Wentworth has a fortune of thirty thousand pounds. That must be too tempting for a spendthrift baronet's daughter who is practically an old maid. I cannot think of anything worse than being unmarried at her age. Perhaps when she was younger, Miss Elliot could have been more selective, but now, it seems the only way she can secure her future is to throw herself at a rich man."

Hannah laughed as she and Martha left the shop. Anne waited another minute before leaving and hurrying back to the cottage, her entire body trembling and flushed. She hardly paid attention to her surroundings as her mind was consumed by what had occurred.

Gossip about her and Captain Wentworth! What she had heard about herself was exceedingly mortifying, but worse still was that she had brought this talk upon him. If only she had not left her bed to thank him for the tea or accepted his offer of company the other day, it could have been avoided! She could only hope the gossip would not reach his ears before she could speak to him. Determined to engage him in conversation at the earliest opportunity, but in a way that would not raise further speculation, she resolved to find him at the Musgroves' dinner party that evening.

~~OOO~~

Anne's heart sank when Captain Wentworth was absent that evening. Thankfully, she did not need to inquire about his whereabouts as Mr. Musgrove did so for her.

"Frederick sends his regrets that he cannot attend tonight," Admiral Croft replied. "He left this morning for Lyme and will return tomorrow or the day after."

Anne's mind raced. "Does he… have an acquaintance in Lyme?"

"I do not know, Miss Elliot," Admiral Croft said. "He was in such a hurry to leave that I did not think to ask the purpose of his trip before he set off."

The information brought Anne no comfort. Why had he left the country? Had he heard the rumours or not? But he would not be gone long, so perhaps it was merely a coincidence. Anne knew not what to think. While it would have been best to not waste her energy contemplating the subject further when she could reach no satisfactory conclusion, she found it impossible to put it out of her mind and, later that night, turned over every scenario in her head until sleep mercifully claimed her.

~~END OF CHAPTER~~

Author's note: Just to be clear, I deliberately made the rumours incorrect. Captain Wentworth's fortune in the book is £25,000, not £30,000. Also, he was never in Anne's bedchamber, only the hallway outside. But of course, rumours will take on a life of their own.


	3. Chapter 3

"Well Anne," Mary said the next morning, "you know I am not the sort of person to say I am right, so I will not, but rumours about you and Captain Wentworth are rampant in Uppercross village and have spread to Kellynch. Do you know what is being said? Of course you do not, for I am always the first to hear these things. It is too indelicate for your unmarried ears, but the result is just as I feared. You and Captain Wentworth must marry now. The worst part of it is how Louisa will suffer! It will break her heart! Though I suppose when seen in a different light, it is better that my own sister marry Captain Wentworth than my husband's sister."

Anne had no response to such a speech. After spending most of the night fraught with worry, she hardly needed to hear about her predicament in such a manner from Mary.

"I am sure Captain Wentworth will offer for you, as he is an honourable gentleman," Mary continued. "You must accept him; it is the only way to save your reputation and mine. And what of my little Charles and Walter, who shall be tainted by association otherwise? You have brought this upon yourself and must now face the consequences. I only hope for your sake that he eventually forgives you for this unfortunate turn of events. How terrible to no longer have a choice! I am sure I could not endure it."

Knowing the futility of arguing with her sister but not wishing to hear more, Anne hastily rose from her chair. "Excuse me, Mary. I must attend to… something." She moved towards the door to escape.

"But Anne, we still have much to discuss! Where will you and Captain Wentworth settle? You must remain close to Uppercross so you can come whenever I need you," Mary said to Anne's retreating back.

Anne went outside to compose herself. How ridiculous the entire situation had become! Nothing untoward had occurred between herself and Captain Wentworth, yet in all the perverseness of misfortune, two brief interactions lasting no more than ten minutes altogether had been misconstrued. Never had she been more disgusted by idle gossip than in that moment. She knew what she had to do. Her reputation would suffer - nay, it was already suffering - and Mary would be seriously displeased. But she would soon leave for Bath and live there for many years while her father retrenched. With her absence and Captain Wentworth's eventual marriage to Louisa, other gossip would attract interest and this one would be all but forgotten.

Still, Anne dreaded the inevitable conversation with Captain Wentworth. She knew his mind and Mary was correct; once he returned from Lyme, he would offer for her out of honour. The pain that would arise from declining him a second time was almost unthinkable. But if any scenario could be worse than refusing him again, it would be him marrying her when he loved another and despising her for the rest of his life.

~~OOO~~

Anne did not have to wait in suspense much longer, for Captain Wentworth called at the cottage at half past three that same day. Though it was later than the customary time for social visits, Mary told the servant to let him inside. He hesitantly walked into the drawing room looking dustier than usual, and Anne knew beyond a doubt that the rumours had reached him. Her heart clenched as the unpleasant moment she had been dreading loomed in front of her.

He greeted them both but did not take his eyes off Anne. Mary, eager for a prompt resolution, suggested they go for a walk together. As they strolled through Mr. Musgrove's woods, Mary immediately fell behind, allowing Anne and Captain Wentworth a chance to speak alone. The tumult of Anne's mind was great and she could not think of a neutral subject to bring forth without sounding trite. How could she ask about the condition of the roads or comment on the weather when much weightier issues surrounded them? Captain Wentworth was equally speechless as he stared alternately at the ground, the trees, and the sky. Several times, he took a deep breath and looked sideways at her as if about to speak, then turned his head away and expelled the air with an unsteady sigh. After several minutes, he finally broke the silence.

"I must apologise for my absence. I received a letter from my friend, Captain Harville, who has settled at Lyme for the winter. I was anxious to see him and regret leaving without giving you notice."

"You owe me no apology or explanation, Captain Wentworth. Is your friend in good health?"

"Yes - at least, as best as can be expected. He suffered an injury two years ago but is well considering the circumstances."

He stopped walking and looked back at Mary who, upon seeing him pause, found a seat on a bench some distance away. Anne was grateful for her sister's uncommonly good sense today.

In a lower voice, Captain Wentworth continued, "Miss Elliot, I understand that a vicious rumour is circulating in the village. I only learned of it a half hour ago upon my return to Kellynch. I came as soon as I could. You have heard it already, I am sure." Anne flushed and lowered her eyes, nodding. "I am sorry, exceedingly sorry to have placed you in such a position. I cannot imagine the mortification you have had to endure. It is my doing; I ought to have been more careful." He took a deep breath and, looking at her very seriously, resumed, "This is not how I had planned it would go, but I must tell you… I am half agony -"

"Pray do not continue!" Anne suddenly exclaimed, unable to remain silent any longer. "I am equally to blame for the present situation. I appreciate that you are an honourable gentleman, but you are under no obligation to me, and if you believe otherwise you may consider yourself released."

"But I am -"

"Please, I beg you, spare us both the unpleasantness that will arise from speaking further on this subject. I hope, when all of this is behind us, we can be friends."

He visibly paled and she wondered why, instead of being relieved at her words, he appeared quite perturbed. After a few moments, he finally said, "You... do not want to marry me." It was a realisation rather than a question.

She looked away, trying to contain the tears that threatened to spill. "I cannot abide a marriage of unequal affections. Such an union would only produce misery for both parties."

Captain Wentworth flinched and his jaw tightened. In a cold tone reminiscent of his goodbye eight years ago, he said, "I understand, Miss Elliot. I shall importune you no further. Good day."

He bowed curtly and turned to leave when an idea suddenly struck Anne. Could she have misread his feelings? Had he misread hers?

"But I do not think you understand!" She cried out.

His feet stopped but he did not turn to face her. She saw his hands clench and his body tremble as he tried to contain his raging emotions. Her heart thundered as she gathered her courage. Seeking to remove any chance of a misunderstanding, she said quietly, "I am aware that _your_ affection lies elsewhere. Regardless of _my_ feelings towards you, I will not stand in the way of your happiness."

A full minute passed as he continued standing with his back to her. She did not know which she dreaded more - his silence or his response. Never had she felt more vulnerable. As he slowly turned around, she thought her heart would give out. His dark eyes, reflecting a mixture of incredulity and hope, penetrated into her.

"My affections do _not_ lie elsewhere. Only one woman has ever captured my heart; she has, in fact, had it in her possession for these eight years now."

Anne could scarcely breathe and began to feel faint, though this time not from illness. He studied her face and, encouraged by what he saw, added in a more tender tone,

"Anne, you are the only woman I have ever loved. I know my actions over the past month have belied it - I have been unjust, weak, and resentful, but never inconstant. I want to marry you, and it is not a desire borne out of honour or obligation. When you became ill, I realised what has always been in my heart. I want nothing more than to be by your side - in sickness _and_ in health, for the rest of my life. At Lyme, I resolved to offer myself to you again. Anne, tell me, is it possible that you feel the same as I do?"

Overcome by her own felicity, Anne tried to speak but nothing sensible came out of her mouth. However, the rapid nodding of her head gave her answer just as well, and Captain Wentworth pulled her into a tight embrace.

"Dearest Anne, I love you so very much."

~~OOO~~

Though Mary was very pleased to see that Anne and Captain Wentworth had reached an understanding, she thought their exuberant happiness unequal to the patched-up nature of their betrothal. Now that they were engaged, Mary decided it was safe to give the couple more privacy and went back to the cottage alone.

As they continued walking, Captain Wentworth acknowledged to Anne how wrongly he had acted by allowing the attentions of the Miss Musgroves.

"When you ended our first engagement, I was devastated," he said. "I told myself you were not worthy of my affection, and as a result of angry pride, I attempted to attach myself to another."

"I am very sorry for the pain I caused," Anne said. "Not a day has passed since that I have not regretted my actions. Had I not been persuaded that I was consulting your good, even more than my own, I would never have acted as I did."

"What do you mean?"

"I was told that if I truly loved you, I should relinquish you. You would have difficulties and dangers enough to struggle with. You would be exposed to every risk and hardship - your home, country, friends, all quitted. And it would be very hard on you, and selfish of me, to add my feelings to all this."

"Good God! And that is why you ended the engagement?"

"Yes. The disapprobation from my father and Lady Russell weighed heavily as well, but it was the conviction that I should deny my own happiness for your advantage that induced me to give you up."

"Who told you this?"

She looked away. "It matters not. I know now that it was unsound advice. It has been a hard lesson for me. I was forced into prudence in my youth and only learned romance as I grew older."

He nodded and did not press further; he already had his suspicions about the answer to his question and knew Anne wanted to avoid more unpleasantness.

"It has been a hard lesson for me as well," he said. "Had I not courted anger and resentment all these years, we could have been reunited much sooner. It is fortunate that you prevented me from leaving in anger today."

"I feared we were operating under a terrible misapprehension."

"You thought I was trying to propose out of honour rather than love."

"Yes. Though I have long wished for a second proposal from you, I wanted you to have the freedom to follow your heart."

He paused to consider her words. "When you stopped me from proposing, were you attempting to deny your happiness for my advantage again?"

She flushed. "Yes, I suppose I was."

With a sigh, he gathered both of her hands into his. "Anne, you are too selfless and excellent a creature. I must insist that from now on, you never place my supposed interests above yours again. I am convinced the most direct path to my happiness is to ensure yours."

~~OOO~~

To subdue the gossips, one of Mary's maids, Harriet, from whom all the trouble originated, quickly and publicly acknowledged that she had fabricated the story of Captain Wentworth in Anne's bedchamber and exaggerated what had occurred in the drawing room. She had not wanted to do so, for no one would ever believe her again, but Charles' threat of unemployment with no reference induced her to speak out.

The village gossips quickly moved on to new targets, as half of them did not think Miss Anne Elliot capable of such scandalous behaviour in the first place. For the other, more vicious half, the idea of a single man who had _not_ entered a single woman's bedchamber and was now engaged to her was hardly interesting, especially once the innkeeper's daughter was seen sneaking into the woods with the butcher's son.

Thus the happy couple were reunited, and on their wedding day, when asked if he would love, comfort, and honour Anne, and keep her in sickness and in health, so long as they both shall live, Captain Wentworth gave his beloved a meaningful smile and responded with more fervour than the vicar had ever heard before,

"I will."

THE END

~~END OF STORY~~

 **Author's note:**

I wrote a rough draft of this chapter a couple of days before I wrote "Her Innermost Thoughts" and hadn't yet decided if I would complete this story. Therefore, you may have noticed similarities in the part preceding the proposal, but in this story, Anne stops Frederick from leaving while in the other story, the roles are reversed.


End file.
